Turning machine



Aug. 5,1952

Filed Oct. 14, 1949 B. W. THAMES TURNING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet l J K A e; 1 WT g. 3 1:

i" M K I I N VEN TOR.

B. W. THAMES TURNING MACHINE Aug. 5, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 14, 1949 MJM B. W. THAMES TURNING MACHINE Aug: 5, 1952 s Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 14, 1949 BY W Patented Aug. 5, 1952 TURNING MACHINE Bonnie WillardThames, Macon, Ga., 'assignor to Batemanfim, Ina, cfGeorgi A! Application October 14, 1949,

8 Claims. (cries-s3) invention relates to" apparatus" for use in connection with the packing of fruit and the like, and more particularly to a machine for inverting filled baskets in connection with'the packing opil t I Modern merchandising of highquality fruit re-. quires that the top layer of the basket be care} fully -laid'so that "upon removal of'the top the fruit in the basket will present a neat and orderly arrangement of fruit.

To accomplish this it hasbeen practice to'la'y what willgb e the top layer of fruitfor a basket on n a met-al; form known as a ringer, which is essentially adiskhaving an annular flange; and iii some gasesannular grooves for guidance in placing the: fruit thereon Over'suchia ringer a; metal tubg the js am e size as the'ba's'ket, is placed inverted, former having 'no bottom, and

the former a heavy .paper'li'ner is placed.

Thereatler the fruit is pourediiito' this former upon; the; top of the "carefullyv arranged bottom layer, andwhen the former is filled, the former isremoved and the regular basket is inverted andplaced-over the paper liner; containing the fruit, the basket in that position being-in invertedpos on-- y Itis at this point inthe normal process of packaging fruit that the present machine is brought into operation. 1

."Ihef'inverte d baskets with the iruit within them, and resting upon the metal ringer are oarriedby aconveyor into the machine in this inverted position and the machine automatically inverts -the'basket and ringeranddelivers the same in its normally upright position upon a seca ondconveyor which removes" the iilled baskets m station where the metal ringer is removed and the regular basket top is applied. 'I 'he objects of the invention, therefore, are to provide an improved and simplified. machine capable of receiving inverted baskets of fruit and completely inverting same so as to bring the initial bottom uppermost and the initial top bottommost, delivering the inverted baskets to a second conveyorfor application of the regular basket tops. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character indicated which is adaptedto adjustment for variations in the size of thebasket. I I 1 I I A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character indicated which will not be unduly noisy in operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine which will efiiciently and efiectively Macon,-Ga;; a corporation Sam No..121,350

invert a series of inverted baskets in succession while maintaining the contents of the baskets securely therein.

Further objects will more particularly appear in the course of the following detailed description.

'The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combiiations of parts hereinafter more particularly described and claimed. I

Three sheets of drawings accompany this specification as part thereof, in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout.

In the drawings: I

Figure '1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the machine.

Figure 3 is1a horizontal cross section taken on line'33 of Figure '1;

Figure 4 is a vertical cross section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1; and

Fig-ureb is a vertical cross section taken on line 5-5 ofFigure 2.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate a practical embodiment of the invention, suitable framework is provided, herein illustrated as comprising horizontal base members I and 2, vertical standards 3 and 4; and horizontal cross standards 5-5', to provide supports for the necessary. guide wheels arranged to support an endless conveyor 20'so as to provide a reach capable ofassuming anarcuat'e form embracing an arc of substan-. tially degrees.

This arcuate reach of the endless conveyor '20 is normally guided and supported around portions of the peripheries of two guide wheels 25 which are freely mounted upon theshaft 23, the guide'wheels 25 being spaced apart and between these guide wheels, and upon the same shaft 23 arefreely rotatable two basket supporting wheels 21-which are conveniently fitted with pneumatic tires 28, these basket supporting wheels 21 being spaced apart sufiiciently to engage and support the'ba'skets delivered thereto. It will be apparent that'b'ysimple suitable mechanical connections, such 'as nuts 50;" the conveyor guide wheels 25 a'n'dlba'sket supporting wheels 21 canbe adjusted axially of the shaft 23 .to accommodatebaskets brackets l4 near the top of the forward standard 3, and the guide wheel I!) being carried by shaft is mounted in journal brackets ll carried by the base frame member I.

A third guide wheel is positioned within the conveyor 20 being mounted upon a shaft 9 carried by journal brackets 8 secured to a pivoted frame 6 pivoted as at l to the top framemember 5. The depending frame members 6 cneon each side of the machine, are connected by a member II which is connected by a coil spring l2 to a transverse frame member l3 extending between the rear vertical frame members 44.

A motor M is mounted upon the base 2 and its drive wheel 33 carries a belt 36 which extendstransversely of the framework and engages a driving pulley 34 associated with a standard reduction gear box R G the driven shaft of which carries a pulley 32 connected by belt'3l to a pulley 30 mounted upon the end of shaft [8, which also carries the lower guide wheel [9. .for

the endlessconveyor. r

A frame member 43 carries an endlessfeed conveyor 38 whichpasses over asprocket 39 adjacent the. guide wheels -25 so that theinver-ted baskets of fruit B are delivered by the upper reach of .conveyorbelt 38 with the ringer downmost and contacting the basket support wheel tires 28. As the basket seats itself upon the tires 28 the arcuate reach of conveyor 20 engages the bottomrof the basket. (which is uppermost), and the basket rotates ,with ,this arcuate portion of conveyorj20 until itis completelyinverted into its normal upright position and .delivered to a second endless conveyor 45 which passes. over a sprocket wheel 46 carried by .a supporting bracketdlmounted on the base I.

Preferably, conveyor guide wheels 25 are provided with peripheral flanges 26 of rubber or some other resilient material to deaden the noise of contact, and for convenience inadjustment the endless conveyor belt 20 has secured thereto a plurality of spaced transverse strips 2| and 22 arranged alternately, the strips 2| being of suificient length to engage the bottoms of the baskets within the range contemplated for use with the machine, while the strips 22 are of suificient length to extend beyondthe endless conveyor 20 on both sides and engage theperipheral fianges26 of the guide wheels 25. I Various .modifications in the details of the arrangement both of the framework and of the guide wheels, will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, but within thescope of the present, invention as claimed.

Having thus described'the invention, I claim: 1. Machine for inverting filled baskets comprising, a shaft, spaced conveyor supporting wheels von said shaft, spaced basket supporting wheelpositionedbetween the conveyor supporting wheels on said shaft, an endless conveyor, a drivingsprocket andplurality of guiding sprockets arranged to ,carry'the conveyor with one reach guided-by the conveyor supporting wheels throughout an arc of substantially 180", means for tensioning the conveyor, means for feeding inverted baskets between the rotary supporting wheels and said reach of the conveyor in the direction of rotation of said reach and means for removing the baskets at the end of said reach. 2. Machine for inverting filled baskets com prising, supporting wheels for an endless conveyor, including a driven wheel, said wheels arranged to 'engagetheinner face of said conveyor,

one end of said arcuate reach, and independent conveyor means to receive the baskets at the other end of said arcuate reach.

3. Machine-as. specified in claim 2 in which the endless conveyor is formed with spaced transversely positioned slats secured thereto of a length to span the basket supporting wheels and engage the rims of the conveyor guiding wheels.

4. Machine as specified in claim 2 in which the endless conveyor is provided with spaced transverselypositioned slats, and slats alternately of lengths; to span the spaced basket supporting wheels and-the spaced conveyor guiding wheels.

5. Machine as specified in claim 2 in which the spaced basket supporting wheels have elastic tires.

'6. Machine as specified in claim 2 in which the spaced conveyor guiding wheels have elasticperipheral flanges against which the endless conveyorelements contact. 1

7. Machine for inverting filled baskets comprising, two spaced conveyors superposed and arrangedto deliver baskets toward andremove basketsfroma'shaft arranged transversely thereof, spaced basket supporting wheels freely rotatable on said shaft in alignment with said conveyor, guide wheels freely rotatable on said shaft, said guidewheels each'of a radius'greater'than that of the basket supporting wheels substantially' the height of a basket, an endless conveyor having transverse spaced slats secured thereto,

said slats of a length to span said guide wheels,

guide wheels, for said endless'conveyor arranged to form a reach of said conveyor concentric with said guide wheels through an arc of substantially meansfor tensioning said endless conveyor and means for driving said endless conveyor.

8; Machine for inverting filled baskets and the like comprising, rotatable means for supporting and engagingthe lower end of a basket as presented, an endless conveyorarranged to provide a reach "concentric with said rotatable means through 180", means for radially spacing said reach from said rotatable supporting means by substantially the depth of thebaskets to be in-' verted, said rotatable means having a readily deformable rim portion to contact the basket, and means for yieldingly tensioning the conveyor member to apply pressure through said reach surrounding the rotatable means to the basket.

BONNIE WILLARD THAMES REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES- PATENTS Number Name Date 1,210,096 Parker Dec. 26,1916 1,355,091 'Davies Oct. 5, 1920 1,385,000 Griffing July 19, 1921' 2,433,035 Ersted Dec. 23, 1947 

